Fantasy Football 2012: Position Rankings for Week 3

Ladies and gentleman, it's time to unveil my fantasy football rankings for the week!

I know, pretty exciting stuff, right? I'm having a hard time containing my excitement as well.

Anyway, here's how this works—I've ranked the top 10 quarterbacks, tight ends and defenses for this week, as well as the top 20 running backs and wide receivers. For a couple of these players, I've broken down my reasoning for the ranking.

As always, drop me a line on Twitter if you have questions about why I included certain players and excluded others. And good luck this week!

Yes, I have Smith in my top 10. The Vikings are decent against the run, allowing 98.5 rushing yards per game. But they have a miserable secondary, and they've allowed 19 fantasy points to Blaine Gabbert—Blaine freaking Gabbert!—and 18.9 to Andrew Luck.

Look for the 49ers to change up the game plan and throw the ball more than usual this week. Smith has scored 17.7 fantasy points in each of the first two weeks, so he's really not that risky of a play anyway.

Running Backs

1. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens (New England Patriots)

2. Arian Foster, Houston Texans (Denver Broncos)

3. C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills (Cleveland Browns)

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Yes, Cleveland has allowed just 22.5 fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. But Spiller is a threat to score any time he touches the ball, and with 364 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns after two games, Spiller is certainly going to be the focal point of the Bills attack.

For those of you savvy enough to draft him, enjoy the spoils of Spiller. His fantasy dominance won't end anytime soon.

The Bengals have allowed a whopping 58.1 fantasy points to opposing running backs after two weeks, 30th worst in the NFL. Combine that with the fact that Morris has 30.5 fantasy points this year, and you've got yourself a recipe for another solid week from the rookie.

News flash No. 1: The New Orleans Saints don't have a very good defense. The secondary has allowed 48 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers after two weeks, and have given up 550 passing yards and three touchdowns this season.

News Flash No. 2: If anyone is going to capitalize on the above facts, it's Bowe. After a mediocre Week 1, he exploded for 102 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. Sure, it was garbage time, but guess what?

News Flash No. 3: This game could get out of hand for the Chiefs very quickly against the prolific New Orleans offense, meaning Matt Cassel will start airing the ball out. That means Bowe could do some serious damage while the Chiefs play catch up.

I know, I know, the lessened snaps and whole "Julian Edelman starting" situation has fantasy owners worried. But here's the deal: Welker is one of the most important players on this offense, he'll continue to see significant targets and with Aaron Hernandez injured, his numbers will only increase.

Michael Vick threw for 381 yards against the Ravens defense last week. Expect the Patriots to throw it at will as well, with Welker earning a big piece of that pie.

11. Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Dallas Cowboys)

12. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles (Arizona Cardinals)

13. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos (Houston Texans)

14.Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (San Diego Chargers)

15. Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers (Oakland Raiders)

16. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (Washington Redskins)

17. Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins (Cincinnati Bengals)

18. Malcolm Floyd, San Diego Chargers (Atlanta Falcons)

19. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers (Seattle Seahawks)

20. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings (San Francisco 49ers)

Tight Ends

1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints (Kansas City Chiefs)

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Against this Chiefs defense, I'm going to project Mr. Graham for eight receptions, 115 yards and two touchdowns. He is going to absolutely dominate in this contest. He'll remind owners who drafted him high that they may have selected a tight end, but they're getting the value week in and week out of a WR1.

2. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (Baltimore Ravens)

3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers (Minnesota Vikings)

4. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers (Atlanta Falcons)

5. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles (Arizona Cardinals)

6. Martellus Bennett, New York Giants (Carolina Panthers)

7. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions (Tennessee Titans)

8. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons (San Diego Chargers)

9. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers (Seattle Seahawks)

10. Jared Cook, Tennessee Titans (Detroit Lions)

Defense / Special Teams

1. Philadelphia Eagles (Arizona Cardinals)

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The Eagles have forced six turnovers, sacked the quarterback four times and given up just 39 points in two games. Oh, and the Cardinals are starting Kevin Kolb at quarterback.